Initiatives

Overview

The financial crisis and its economic aftershocks have spawned the first serious examination of the structure of our current banking system and the public policies that have fueled consolidation over the last 30 years and untethered financial institutions from their communities.

Overview

Access to the Internet is an essential infrastructure for any community that cares about economic development, quality of life, and educational opportunities. Unfortunately, most communities are presently dependent on a few unaccountable absentee corporations that act as gatekeepers to...

Overview

Wind and sun are available everywhere, so renewable energy can be economically harnessed at small scales across the country. This nature of renewable energy, and the exponential increase of renewable energy generation, promises to decentralize the nation’s grid system. ...

Overview

Over the last 25 years, a handful of giant companies have grown to dominate the U.S. economy. ILSR challenges the wisdom of this market concentration. Through research and analysis, we have built a compelling case that places that are home to...

Overview

At the founding of the American Republic the word “private” had pejorative connotations. Derived from the Latin word “privare”, private meant to divide or tear apart. A privateer was a pirate. The word “public” was an honorable adjective, often...

Overview

ILSR's Waste to Wealth program helps communities across the country create policies and practices that address citizens' environmental concerns and economic needs. We help citizens fight the incinerators and landfills that pollute their air and water, and drive property...

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://ilsr.org/big-box-tool-kit/

WHERE TO START: HOW TO STOP A BIG BOX

There are many reasons why communities seek to stop a big-box proposal — the effect on local economic development and small businesses, traffic congestion, environmental issues, community impacts, low-paying jobs. Whatever your concerns, however, the main way most communities succeed in preventing the development of a big-box store is through the local land use system.

Don’t worry if you know nothing about land use policy. Most citizens who succeed in stopping a big-box development started out with very little knowledge of or experience with planning and zoning. This guide and the other resources in the Big-Box Tool Kit will explain not only how to navigate your local land use policies, but also how to organize a citizen-based campaign to stop a big-box proposal and to make permanent changes to your local policies to put citizens in control of how the community grows and develops.

Citizens groups often succeed in blocking big-box proposals. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Sociology, between 1998 and 2005, citizens organized to block Walmart proposals in 563 locations. In 366 of those sites, Walmart was either defeated or withdrew its proposal.

KEY STUDIES

Click here to see the best available research on the impacts of big-box retailers. We provide summaries of the primary findings of more than three dozen studies that examine such questions as: Does Wal-Mart boost employment? Do big-box stores increase tax revenue? Do independent businesses keep more money circulating locally?

BOOK

“In the muckraking tradition of Fast Food Nation, this is a searing indictment of the impact of behemoth retailers… Mitchell also provides inspiring lessons from places that are turning the tide.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

How Big is Too Big Help people visualize and understand just how big these stores are and how their size affects the community and local economy.

Impact of Big-Box Stores on Jobs and Wages Despite substantial evidence that big-box stores reduce employment and lower wages, many local officials still believe these stores are job creators. Set the record straight.

Impact of Big-Box Stores on Taxes and Public Costs When evaluating retail development proposals, municipal officials often focus on only one side of the equation: the amount of new tax revenue that the project will generate. It’s easy to overlook the fact that big-box stores and shopping centers also create new costs.

Walmart’s Impact on Police Costs Many cities report that big-box retailers generate large numbers of police calls, creating new costs for local government and reducing police presence and response times in other areas.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Sprawl-Busters Sprawl-Busters has helped countless citizen groups block big-box projects. They can provide advice and help you design and execute a local campaign.

Commissioning an Economic Impact Study:

Community Land Use and Economics This top-notch consulting firm does economic impact studies of proposed big-box projects, retail market analyses, independent business development plans, and much more.

American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) Terrific resources and how-to assistance for forming an Independent Business Alliance and starting a “buy local” campaigns. In more than two dozen cities, AMIBA has helped launch campaigns that have succeeded in making “locally owned” a selling point.